Adj.  .lour.  Pharm.l 
January.  1895.  J 
The  Florida  Sponge  Industry. 
21 
contents  of  Macbeth's  weird  witches'  stew !  and,  seriously,  the  idea 
of  the  substance  of  a  gland  from  an  animal  in  health  being 
used  to  effect  a  cure  of  a  disease  supposed  to  be  due  to  the  inter- 
rupted function  of  a  similar  gland  in  another  body,  has  something 
about  it  of  the  similia  similibus  certainly.  Animal  physiology 
(human)  divides  the  glands  into  two  groups — the  secreting,  or  those 
having  ducts,  and  the  non-secreting,  orductless.  The  secreting  glands 
all  have  outlets  to  the  surface  of  the  body.  These  diversified  secretions 
can  be  collected  and  an  analysis  determine  their  character ;  but  how 
is  it  with  the  ductless  glands  ?  These  are  none  the  less  component 
parts  of  the  physical  structure,  and  perform  certain  wise  and  benign 
functions  in  the  human  economy.  They  do  give  to  the  body  suste- 
nance and  support  in  some  appreciable  way,  but  not  in  a  manner 
of  which  we  have  exact  knowledge.  In  this  they  differ  essentially 
from  the  former  class  of  glands.  An  analysis  of  their  substance 
gives  only  the  usual  flesh  constituents.  We  can  discover  in  them 
no  special  or  unusual  element.  How  then  can  we  intelligently 
apply  and  use  them  ?  Such  application  would  seem  to  be  quite 
similar  to  taking  the  "  hair  of  the  dog  that  bit  you  "  to  heal  the  bite 
The  attention  which  this  subject  has  already  elicited  will  arouse  a 
yet  stronger  interest,  and  the  evidence  of  "  things  seen  "  will  be 
eagerly  sought ;  then,  possibly,  the  pharmacist  may  place  side  by 
side  with  his  jars,  "  ungenta,"  a  flesh-pot  or  two  labelled  "  Extractum 
carnis  humanae,"  or  "  animalis  "  ! 
One  merit,  however,  there  will  be  in  the  gland  treatment  for  the 
apothecary,  and  it  is  this,  that,  to  maintain  repair,  the  remedy 
must  be  maintained,  and  the  original  prescription  will  be  necessarily 
renewed  ad  infinitum. 
THE  FLORIDA  SPONGE  INDUSTRY. 
By  Wixuam  B.  Burk. 
Sponge  is  a  substance  with  which  almost  everyone  is  familiar,  as 
there  are  but  few  living  in  civilized  communities  who  do  not  find 
occasion  to  use  it  for  a  great  variety  of  purposes.  The  article  is  so 
very  useful  that  a  large  number  of  inconveniences  would  arise  if  it 
could  not  be  obtained.  Without  it,  what  would  the  surgeon,  the 
traveller  or  the  housekeeper  do  ?  And  yet,  most  of  those  who  use 
sponges  in  an  infinite  variety  of  ways  all  their  lives,  never  stop  to 
